Retirement: "Women retire at 51, men at 56." | 'Super-early retirement' confirmed.

Early retirement for this category, a right with reduced requirements, find out how to access the benefit

Early retirement is a social security measure that allows certain categories of workers to access retirement benefits before the age ordinarily established by the Fornero Law. These categories include workers with disabilities equal to or greater than 80% and the blind, who are granted significantly reduced age and contribution requirements. The aim is to protect those who, due to serious health conditions, find themselves in a vulnerable situation and are limited in their work performance.

For disabled workers with at least 80% disability, early retirement is regulated by the Amato Decree (Legislative Decree 503/1992). Under this law, men can retire at age 61, and women at age 56, with a minimum requirement of 20 years of contributions. For the blind, the age limits are further reduced: 56 for men and 51 for women . These parameters represent a significant advance compared to the 67 years required for the ordinary old-age pension.

The legislation also provides specific exemptions that allow the minimum contribution period to be lowered to 15 years for certain categories of workers. This exemption applies to those who have at least 15 years of contributions accrued before 1992 , who have made voluntary contributions by the same date, or who have at least 25 years of contributions, of which 15 years are from actual employment and 10 years from periods of discontinuous employment.

The measure applies exclusively to workers enrolled in the INPS General Mandatory Insurance, excluding public sector employees and self-employed workers enrolled in special schemes. To access early retirement , disability status must be certified by INPS. The Institute assesses the beneficiary's actual residual working capacity, considering whether the disability results in a reduction of working capacity by less than a third. Disability certificates issued by other institutions may be used as support, but the final assessment is made by the INPS medical commission in accordance with Law 222/1984.

Judgments and legal interpretations

Regarding health requirements, the Turin Court of Appeal clarified in ruling no. 467/2020 that the only relevant criterion for early retirement is the degree of civil disability, which must be at least 80%. In this case, the Court overturned the previous INPS decision that favored the concept of social security disability, stating that even individuals capable of working can access early retirement if they meet the disability requirement.

Access to early disability pensions is subject to a rolling 12-month window: the first payment is made one year after the eligibility criteria have been met. This mechanism serves to standardize the flow of payments and ensure orderly processing of applications.

Calculating the social security benefit

The amount of the early pension is determined according to the same rules as the old-age pension, using the retributive, contributory, or mixed methods . There are no penalties for retiring earlier than the standard age, ensuring the beneficiary fair financial treatment compared to the ordinary regulations. Early retirement for the blind and disabled is therefore an essential tool for protecting workers with serious physical or sensory limitations.

Thanks to the exemptions provided by law, these groups can retire early in dignified conditions, continuing to receive a pension benefit consistent with their years of contributions and applicable legislation. The legislative attention paid to these groups demonstrates the social security system's commitment to recognizing the needs of those facing particular challenges in their working lives.